Thru a Lens, Boldly

Warmth on a Cold Night

Warriorwriter — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:38:30 +0000

This past weekend, I participated in the DC Shootoff, a four-day photography workshop for military and civil service photographers throughout the federal government. The event featured presentations by several well-known photography professionals, as well as useful workshops that dealt with best practices and workflow management.

My favorite part of the weekend was the 24-hour shoot off contest that challenged the assembled photographers to interpret a specified theme, however they saw fit, in 3-5 frames. This year’s theme, “warmth,” was drawn randomly from dozens of ideas submitted by conference participants.I chose to interpret this year’s theme through color temperature, relational dynamics and the spaces between subjects. I did so by taking my camera to the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington D.C. and looking for people in situations that felt “warm” to me.

The following shots are the results of my late-night adventure. My package didn’t win any prizes at the workshop, but the exercise was valuable nonetheless, helping me to hone my shooting and editorial skills, particularly when focusing on a very specific theme.

The warm glow of a fireplace window takes the edge off a winter smoke break outside The Fireplace, a popular LGBT bar in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington D.C.
24mm @ 1/30, f/2, ISO 1600

A happy couple wards off the late winter chill in Washington D.C. by cozying up to one another in a Dupont Circle bus stop.
24mm @ 1/20, f/2.8, ISO 800

Revelers rush to their destinations in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington D.C., seemingly oblivious to one of the city’s hundreds of homeless residents sleeping on the sidewalk.
19mm @ 1/60, f/2.8, ISO 1600

As drinks begin to flow, a genial chat between strangers evolves into a hearty conversation in a Dupont Circle bar in Washington D.C.
85mm @ 1/60, f/2, ISO 6400

Last call at bars along Washington’s U Street corridor means an influx of business at Ben’s Chili Bowl, one of the District’s famous late-night diners.
14mm @ 1/250, f/2.8, ISO 1600

Check out more of my high-resolution photos from the shoot off in my photostream on Flickr.

Filed under: People, Photography, Street

Montevideo Express (Bonus): Film

Warriorwriter — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:50:38 +0000

During my recent trip to Montevideo, I made sure to chronicle my daily adventures with two Nikon DSLRs and a bunch of really nice Nikkor glass. Despite my love for Nikon’s flagship digital cameras, I’m still a bit nostalgic for the bygone 35mm film days. Since my Nikon F100 isn’t that heavy, and can use all the same lenses as my DSLRs, I threw it in my bag with a few rolls of film. Whenever I saw a subject that really popped out at me, I took photos with both digital and film cameras.

18mm @ 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640 (Photo by Pablo Castro)

Nikon F100, Kodak Professional Ektar 100

Special thanks to U.S. Embassy Montevideo Social Media Manager Pablo Castro for the first shot, and for the other candids sprinkled throughout this post, which show me taking pictures at some iconic sites around the city. Many of my film shots are similar to those I posted in previous “Montevideo Express” installments except that they’re all captured on 35mm film with a Nikon F100. The F100 is an amazing analog light capturing device, but it doesn’t log EXIF data like its digital counterparts. Thus, I don’t have any of the exposure and focal length information readily available. To make things simple, I’ve just listed the camera and type of film used for each shot. Enjoy the grainy goodness!